Carla Hinsey

My grandfather lives down the road from us. He is an elder of the Cherokee Nation. He has been teaching me the old ways since I was a little girl. Grandfather says to listen to and watch the animals because they will share their secrets with me. He tells me they will give me wise direction and help me solve my everyday problems and will warn me of danger. Today I’m going down to visit my grandfather.

“Hello, Grandfather it’s me, Logan!” I shouted.

“Out here, I’m on the back porch!” grandfather hollered back.

I went around to the back porch and sat with grandfather, we talked for a while.

“What is it Logan? What’s bothering you today?” grandfather asked me.

“How did you know Grandfather?” I asked surprised.

“I always know.” he replied with no emotion.

“Grandfather, there has been a crow following me the last couple of days. He’s everywhere!” I exclaimed.

Grandfather pointed to the huge Oak by the creek, “You mean that crow, Logan?”

I gasped. Sitting on the branch of the Oak was my crow.

“Yes! That’s him, what does he want?” I asked.

“Maybe you should ask him. I’ve been talking with him for a while. He tells me he has a very important message for you.” grandfather told me.

“What does he say Grandfather?” I asked him.

“He says to meet him at the creek behind your house.” grandfather answered.

Grandfather told me the story of the crow when I was eleven. Part of me has been afraid of the crow, but at the same time I have been fascinated with him. Crow is the keeper of all sacred law. He lives in the past, present, and future. Crow knows all the mysteries of the universe, he stands in the truth of balance and harmony, he knows things before hand and after.

The crow was already at the creek when I got there. I laid down in the soft grass under a tree and closed my eyes, breathing deeply while I listened to the soothing sounds of the water. After a couple of minutes I saw myself sitting on a large boulder talking to the crow.

“What is it you want to tell me crow?”

The crow said in a strong voice, “When the grasshoppers sing loudly in the middle of the day, a very bad storm is on the way. When the Thunder Beings show their anger, you will be in grave danger.”

It took me a few minutes to wake up, when I did, I headed back to our house deep in thought. I went to my brothers’ room.

“Guys, I just came from grandfathers’ and I was telling him about the crow I’ve been seeing the last few days and just now, I talked to the crow and something bad is going to happen.”

“Logan, why do you go over there and listen to that crazy old goat? He fills your head full of stupid nonsense,” Steven said.

“He’s not a crazy old goat, he’s a wise old man,” I told Steven, “Something bad is going to happen, the crow told me so.”

“You’re just a stupid little girl, Logan,” Brad piped in, “You’re as crazy as that old man.”

“I am not!” I cried and ran from the room.

I decided to gather up supplies we might need and take them down to the basement, in case of an emergency. Then I went outside and sat on the front porch swing. I was looking out towards the western sky. Off in the distance I saw large white clouds. I didn’t know how long Isat there, but suddenly I was awakened by a loud buzzing sound. It was deafening.

“Oh my gosh!” I shouted as I jumped from the swing, “That sound, it’s the grasshoppers”.

I ran to the barn where mom and dad where. I looked at my watch, it was three o’clock this was bad.

“Mom, Dad!” I shouted as I entered the barn.

“Good heavens, Logan! What’s the matter?” mother exclaimed.

“It’s the grasshoppers, they’re singing, there’s going to be big trouble!”

“Easy, girl,” Dad said, “What’s all this about grasshoppers and trouble?”

“They’re singing and it’s the middle of the day, the Thunder Beings are going to be angry!”

“Logan, calm down, you’re not making any since,” Mother said.

“Of course she’s not, she’s been down to visit him!” Dad snorted.

“John please, let’s not go into that again, he’s her grandfather,” Mother pleaded, then turned to me, “What’s going on, Logan, start from the beginning.”

I told her about the crow following me, and what Grandfather said, and later what the crow told me.

Just then, there was a loud cracking sound followed by a rumble that rattled the windows. Dad ran outside, Mother and I followed.

“Good God!” Dad shouted.

The western sky had turned black as night and the clouds where moving in fast. The storm was right on top of us. We reached the front porch of the house just as a lightening bolt pierced the sky and the ground shook under our feet. The clouds opened up with raindrops the size of baseballs.

The boys had already made it downstairs by the time we burst into the front room.

“Quickly, everyone, to the basement!” Dad shouted.

The lights flickered and went out as we descended the basement stairs. It was pitch black, everyone was stumbling and running into stuff when I turned on my flashlight. Everyone’s eyes where turned to me when the light came on.

“I brought some things down earlier,” I said.

Mother hugged me, but I could see the worried look on her face.

The storm raged upstairs for a while, banging and crashing, howling and moaning. When it had stopped, we climbed out of the basement. The look on everyone’s faces told the whole story, the house was still standing, but the roof was gone and the barn was nothing but rubble.

The weeks that followed the storm, nobody said much about that day, but from then on, when I had a story to tell everyone asked me a lot of questions about it. My Dad never said anything else about me visiting my grandfather either.